Rail joints



. Sept. 25, 1956 -A. N. BRGDEN ARAIL JoNTs Filed Aug. 17. 195] Invenor A Lmgn NATHAN BRoGDf/v $.15; V25 Y ZOrneZ/S United States Patent O RAIL JoINrs Alfred Nathan Brogden, St. Annes-on-Sea, near Blackpool, England Application August 17, 1951, Serial No. 242,229

Claims priority, application Great Britain June 21, 1950 1 Claim. (Cl. 238244)` This invention relates to permanent way rail joints wherein the ends of lengths or sections of rail are reduced to half thickness for a short distance, so that, when connected with the correspondingly reduced ends of adjacent rails a continuous rail of even thickness is provided.

Hitherto, ishplates employed to connect the rails in this type of joint have been disposed in alignment one at each side of the rails between adjacent sleepers--being so restricted in their disposition by the rail chairs which support the rails-and rails so connected have a disadvantage in that the joint, although secure, is not uniformly supported by said fish plates, and thus is not completely rigid. My invention aims to obviate this disadvantage and provides, for use with rails of the type which include a broad bottom flange adapted to be secured directly to supporting sleepers by spring metal or other holding down spikes, a simple, eilicient, and inexpensive method of forming a rigid and uniformly supported rail joint.

According to my invention, a rail joint is characterised in that its securing ish plates are in oset or staggered relationship one to the other in order that each ish plate extends uniformly across the adjacent rail division.

The inner connecting bolts of the joint are common to both iish plates and, if required, spacing or protection plates may be provided to prevent damage of the rail web by the outer connecting bolts.

It will further describe my invention with the aid of the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawings which illustrate by way of example only, and not of limitation, one mode of embodiment.

In said drawings:

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are plan, elevation and longitudinal section respectively of rail ends connected by my joint.

Referring now to said drawings, 1 and 2 denote a pair of adjacent rail sections, resting on sleepers 3 and secured thereto by spikes 4 passed through a plate 5 on which the rail lies. The adjacent ends of rails 1 and 2 are reduced to half width as at 1', 2a, (Figs. 1 and 3) to minimize the shock of passage of the wheels of a coach, wagon or like rolling stock, from one rail section to the next. The rail-connecting ish plates 6 are adapted to support the rail joint and as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, said sh plates 6 are secured in an offset relationship one to the other, in order that each will extend uniformly ICC on each side of the adjacent expansion space or divisions 7 provided between the adjoining rail ends.

Fish plates 6 are of four-holetype, and, as shown, six bolts are employed to secure said sh plates in position, the middle two bolts 8 being common to both iish plates 6, and in order that the bolts 8ab securing the outer ends of the fish plates 6 do not damage the rail webs, spacing or protector plates 9 are provided.

lf desired two-hole iish plates may be employed, in this instance four connecting bolts only would be required and spacing or protector plates may be utilised as and where required. Each rail end in this case would have two bolt holes formed in the portions of reduced thickness and one bolt hole in the unreduced portion of the rails.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art, that my method of connecting adjacent rail ends will rigidly and securely lock said rails together and prevent, or substantially so, relative movement of said rail ends. It is preferred that said bolt holes are jig drilled, and that allowance for expansion and contraction of the rails be provided for at preselected joints as required.

Further, and to provide maximum support, it is preferable that the sleepers be positioned as shown in relation to the joint.

Fish plates of any suitable type may, of course, be employed in the carrying out of my invention without departing from the scope of same.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A rail joint comprising the longitudinally halved substantially straight mating ends, including the webs, of two rails, a pair of substantially straight sh plates each positioned against a side of said joint, said sh plates being offset longitudinally in relation to each other and extending equidistantly on each side of the adjacent rail division, registering bolt holes formed in said rail webs and in said fish plates, bolts extending through said bolt holes for securing said joint, and protector plates each having openings with those bolts which pass through one fish plate only extending therethrough, and said protector plates each being in direct contact with the rail web on a side of said web opposite to one of said lish plates.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 558,495 Johnson Apr. 21, 1896 675,167 Read May 28, 1901 1,020,972 Eustis Mar. 26, 1912 1,204,198 Scott et al. Nov. 7, 1916 2,072,751 Hill Mar. 2, 1937 2,444,954 Rudemaker July 13, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 448,201 Great Britain June 4, 1936 489,519 France Mar. 30, 1918 

